


An Interesting Day at the Amusement Park

by LalaRose27



Category: Suicide Squad (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Denial of Feelings, Drinking, Drinking Games, F/M, Feelings, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Non-Explicit Sex, UST, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, this was not as fluffy as I wanted it to be
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-10
Updated: 2016-08-15
Packaged: 2018-08-07 19:39:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7727311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LalaRose27/pseuds/LalaRose27
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tatsu Yamashiro is new to America and to Belle Reve University. Her only friends are dating each other and are too busy looking into each others eyes to pay her much attention. When her not-quite-friend, Harley experiences heartbreak Tatsu begrudgingly helps her. In return Harley invites her to come to the amusement park with her friends. There Tatsu meets people she never thought she would ever hang out with. </p><p>Especially Digger. </p><p>She hates him the most. Kind of. Not really. Well he's interesting. But she still hates him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Amusement Park.

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to this hot mess of a fic. I dedicate this to the people who also have written fics for this small ship. I have not watched the movie yet but I do love Katana so I might watch it if I can get a ride or find a free website that doesn't ask for my credit card number. But I have seen people ship this ship and I love the stories people have posted so far. None of them are done yet so I decided to create a completed fic so the ship tag can become official sooner and to have a completed fic while we wait for the other stories to be finished. Like I said before, I have not watched the movie yet so this will probably OOC and is the reason for it being AU. Enjoy the story!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to this hot mess of a fic. I dedicate this to the people who also have written fics for this small ship. I have not watched the movie yet but I do love Katana so I might watch it if I can get a ride or find a free website that doesn't ask for my credit card number. But I have seen people ship this ship and I love the stories people have posted so far. None of them are done yet so I decided to create a completed fic so the ship tag can become official sooner and to have a completed fic while we wait for the other stories to be finished. Like I said before, I have not watched the movie yet so this will probably OOC and is the reason for it being AU. Enjoy the story!

Tatsu Yamashiro sat in a coffee shop with her friend Rick Flag and his girlfriend, June Moon waiting for their orders. They were studying for their upcoming test for their respective professors. Tatsu was studying law, Rick was studying to become a lawyer and June was studying archaeology. She is going to leave for her internship in South America over the summer so she and Rick were trying to spend as much time as possible with each other. It  _ was _ a bit annoying that they didn’t pay much attention to her when she hung out with them. But Tatsu understood, if Maseo was still around she would act the same. She rubbed her silver ring lost in thought about her test. 

 

“Tatsu!” Called the barista, Harley Quinn. Harley Quinn was an eccentric party girl pursuing a Psychology degree. Tatsu had partnered up with her on a few projects during their Criminology class. She found her annoying at first but grew to like her a little. She still found her annoying but in a more cute way. “Your order is ready!” 

 

Tatsu walked up to the counter and grabbed her cup. “How've ya been?” Harley asked trying to make conversation. It was a slow day, with the three of them her only customers that afternoon and the rest of her co-workers had ditched their shifts so Harley was so, so bored. 

 

“I am fine,” she answered choosing to indulge Harley with conversation. 

 

Her English was not perfect and was her biggest insecurity. When she spoke in Japanese people would understand her emotions and fear her easier but English made her sound dainty and soft and fragile. Three things she hated feeling. But she could use the practice and Harley liked to talk. She was staying in America and wanted to get rid of the fragile way she said everything. She and Rick became friends because he understood the language. Harley didn't mind so much that Tatsu didn’t talk as she made up most of the conversations they had.

 

“The Criminology test will be difficult but manageable.” she continued. She liked using big words, it showed she wasn’t stupid because English wasn’t her first language.

 

“Right! I'm sure I'll do great but I can't help tests giving me chills whenever they're given to me.” She gave an exaggerated chill and smiled “It's date night tonight with J, do you think I should keep my hair up or down?” 

 

“You would look nice either way.” Harley blushed and squealed. Her phone beeped and Harley squealed again when she saw the caller I.D. It was probably her boyfriend. Tatsu had met him once. Her immediate thought after he opened his mouth was that Harley could do a lot better.

 

“You are too sweet. Well I'll let you get back to your studying. Good luck!” She waved her away and Tatsu took her seat with her friends. Harley energetically started talking on the phone. Tatsu looked at her phone.

 

“ _ It’s getting a bit late, _ ” she said in Japanese to the couple “ _ I’m going to head on home.” _

 

“Alright, let us walk you it’s pretty dark out.” said June snapping out of her loving gaze with Rick. She was slowly learning the language so she knew a few phrases here and there. Tatsu raised a brow at Rick’s lovesick look. And he said they were studying hard. 

 

“I know you can take care of yourself if you get attacked but still safety in numbers.” joked Rick. They cleaned up their stuff and waved good-bye to a distracted Harley still chatting on the phone. Tatsu remembered when she was a lovesick idiot. She missed those days. 

 

***

 

When they got to their dorms Tatsu lied on her bed and closed her eyes to review her plans for the next day. She needed to wake up early so she could take a shower and head over to the library before anyone else had a chance to. Then she should head over to the gym and work out. She hadn’t worked out in a few days and she needed to get back on track. If she failed at the next tournament, her scholarship might get taken away. Maybe she should meet up with Rick and June for lunch? She could ask June if  they meet at the library tomorrow. Then she had two classes she had to go to. As for the rest of the afternoon? She would study obviously, but what else would she do? Rick and June would be out for date night so hanging out with them was not an option… 

 

Loud crying in the hallway woke her out of her thoughts. Tatsu immediately walked to the door so she could tell them to shut up because it was late and everybody needed sleep. When she opened the door the words got stuck in her throat.

 

Harley Quinn was crying. 

 

Harley Quinn, the flirtatious happy-go-lucky barista. 

 

Harley, psychology student who might need psychological help was crying. 

 

No, not crying, bawling her eyes out. Her already messy makeup was in wet smudges across her face and her shoulders were shaking hard. Something told Tatsu that her phone call ended in disaster.

 

“Harley?” she asked tentatively in her soft voice. Harley looked at her and ran to give her a hug. Tatsu was a little annoyed that she was getting her PJs wet but hugged Harley back nonetheless. Wet PJs or not, she knew what it was like to have her heart broken. She needed to comfort her barista.

 

***

 

They were sitting on her bed with Harley’s head on her lap. Her crying was softer now but the tears kept falling down her face. The reason for her waterworks was that her boyfriend got arrested during their phonecall. Tatsu didn’t want to pry on to  _ why _ he was arrested but given their last meeting she guessed it had something to do with violence or drugs or a combination of the two.

 

“He said he won’t be out for a couple of months  _ at best _ ,” This surprised Tatsu, she assumed it would be a good number of years for him. “If he had a good lawyer that is. But he probably doesn’t because he doesn’t have a lot of money.” Tatsu had to wonder if Harley knew how much his purple lamborghini cost. But she was upset and Tatsu didn’t want to upset her further with facts because she needed to get some sleep and she couldn’t get that if Harley was still crying.

 

“Don’t you have any friends you could go to for this?” asked Tatsu. She knew she sounded a bit rude but they weren’t close as Harley was with a lot of other people.

 

“Well I don’t know. Selina is out with her new sugar daddy, Red is in South America for her internship, and Floyd is with his daughter tonight,” Harley kept rattling off names and why they couldn’t be with her but Tatsu got the idea. She was Harley’s only acquaintance that was available tonight.

 

“How about you get some sleep and invite them over tomorrow? You guys can hang out and they can comfort you.” Harley nodded and hugged Tatsu again. 

 

“Can you come?” Harley’s voice was uncharacteristically soft. It reminded her of herself when Maseo died. Tatsu inwardly cursed at herself when she nodded her head.

 

“I’m not busy in the evening. Maybe around seven?” Harley hugged her even tighter. 

 

“I’ll tell my friends. Oh! We can go to the amusement park!” Harley was back to her usual perky self well almost, her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes but she seemed happy about a night out with her friends. Tatsu smiled back. Harley waved ‘bye’ to her friend and Tasu lied on her bed thinking about her day tomorrow. She turned her phone on and a recording of Maseo’s voice gently lulled her to sleep.

 

***

 

Tatsu waited at the amusement park entrance for Harley and her friends. She wasn’t sure if she had dressed appropriately for the occasion. She wore her usual black varsity jacket with yellow flowers on the front, and patches of the Japanese flag and other places she went for sword fighting and gymnastic competitions. Her shirt was a plain black button down, a matching black pleated skirt with a red belt around it. It was chilly that evening so she chose to wear black tights and black sneakers. She knew compared to Harley she would look dressed down but the outfit still made her feel dressed up. She checked her phone again to make sure she had the right time. She hated being late yet always managed to be late regardless. Maybe Harley wasn’t up to it? They hadn’t exchanged numbers or seen each other that day so maybe Harley couldn’t tell her. Maybe Harley arrived early and didn’t feel like waiting for her and was already in the carnival. 

 

“Tatsu!” screamed a shrill Brooklyn accent. Harley was running towards her with her friends not far behind. Harley had a leather vest with sequins on the lapels, a shirt Harley had probably hastily cut into a crop top, black flats, and a pair of high waisted white pants with various doodles, and patches all over them. Her face was all done up in more makeup than she had seen her in classes or at the coffee shop. The bright red lipstick and blue eyeshadow contrasted nicely against her pale skin. Harley made Tatsu feel more comfortably about the way she was dressed. She reminded Tatsu of the sukeban in Japan and it comforted her a little to be reminded of home.  _ I never thought Harley Quinn of all people could make me feel at home.  _ Her friends behind her made Tatsu feel somewhat more comfortable about her attire. They were all either dressed in sweats, jeans, or leather jackets. They were also all male. Tatsu had thought Harley had more female friends due to her bubbly personality but apparently she was wrong. 

 

“Hi.” she said when Harley hugged her. Harley was a very touchy person and gave Tatsu more hugs than what she was used to. 

 

“These are my friends,” she gestured to the guys behind her. “This is Floyd,” a guy in a leather jacket and a growing beard gave her a small wave “Chato,” a man with tattoos and a cross necklace smiled politely “Waylon, but we all call him ‘Croc’” a man in a hoodie and leather jacket nodded “and George, but we all call him ‘Digger’.” Harley’s voice had turned to one of disgust. The guy in a blue track suit smiled and waved at Tatsu. “He’s the reason Chris isn’t here.”

 

“I thought you said the cafeteria!” he smiled with a too-innocent grin. Tatsu took note of his accent. He took a flask out of his pocket and took a swig. Harley ignored him.

 

“Everyone, this is Tatsu. She’s in my Criminology class, she’s studying to become a what again?” she asked.

 

“Lawyer.”

 

“Yeah! Lawyer!” 

 

“Nice to meet you Tatsu. Nice to see Harley knows normal people.” Floyd shook her hand with a smile.

 

“That hurts Floyd.” Harley said in mock hurt. 

 

“Nice to meet you.” She replied shaking his hand.

 

“Come on guys!” Harley calls running to the ticket booth. She slammed down some cash, waking the person out of their day dream. “Here’s a twenty, a five, and another five.” She smiled eager to get into the carnival.

 

“Here’s your tickets.” Harley ran inside and her friends followed. “What should we do first? The ferris wheel? The roller coaster? Oh we  _ have  _ to do the Tunnel of Love later.” Harley was bouncing on her feet.

 

“Let’s go on the ferris wheel first. The line is shorter.” Croc said roughly. 

 

“Okay! You can ride with me!” she giddily took his arm and lead the way to the ferris wheel. She gave the tickets to the person working the wheel and waited in line with a big grin on her face. Tatsu was glad to see her smiling again. When it came to her turn she was partnered with Chato. They sat in a comfortable silence. 

 

Once they were off the ferris wheel Harley took them to the roller coaster. But immediately got distracted by the Whack-a-Mole booth. She eagerly grabbed a mallet and went to town on the small, mechanical rodents. Tatsu watched Harley commit violence with interest. This is the first time she’s seen Harley be violent and it was kind pleasant. She was normally so nice and energetic. Had they met back in Japan, Tatsu would have seen her hang out with the girl gangs at her school and admired her from afar. The man in charge of the booth was astonished about her high score and let her choose whatever prize she wanted. She gleefully chose a large stuffed green toy and gave it a big hug and kiss. 

 

“Onwards to the rollercoaster!” The line was dying down as it was dark but still quite long so they had some time to chat amongst themselves. Harley and Floyd were talking about his daughter (“Please let me babysit! She’s so adorable!” “No I’m not letting you babysit her Quinn! Her mom would have a field day knowing I left her with you!”), Croc and Chato were talking about something Tatsu couldn’t quite hear due to their low voices, leaving her and Digger. 

 

She did not want to talk to him for a number of reasons (he was rude, vulgar, loud, and even Harley didn’t seem to like him very much). But this did not affect him at all. In fact, her annoyance with him only made him want her some more. Tatsu was not going to give in however, she was much better than that. Instead of answering she waited patiently in line and tried not to roll her eyes. 

 

“Not much of a talker huh?” Finally getting the hint. No response. “Well that’s fine. Your name is Tatsu? Is that Chinese or Korean?” She finally looked at him, and gave him a look. She pointed to the Japanese flag patch on her sleeve. 

 

“Oh well duh! Japan, well that’s cool. Did you live there?” Her silence annoyed him. “Tell me are they all bitchy like you?” Tatsu had enough. She slammed him onto the ground and straddled his waist. Her arm was on his throat choking him and in her other hand her switchblade pressed against his neck. Neither were enough to kill him, but just enough for him to get the idea. Not that he seemed to mind. In fact, he seemed happy about this. 

 

“You got a boyfriend?” He asked with a smile. The rest of the group turned to look at them. Harley was smiling with amusement and the rest of the boys seemed impressed. This caused Tatsu to narrow her eyes more.

 

“Tatsu!” called a voice. She looked up and saw Rick and June walking towards them. She got off of Digger and recomposed herself. 

 

“Is there something wrong?” He seemed protective over Tatsu and glared at Digger.

 

“ _ No problem,”  _ she responded in Japanese “ _ Just some people just don’t know how to behave. How is date night?”  _

 

“It’s pretty good so far. I love the snacks and prizes, he loves the games.” June said gesturing to the three stuffed toys in her hand. “What are you doing here?”

 

“ _ Harley’s boyfriend got sent to prison so I’m here for some emotional support. She needed a distraction and invited me to come along. I had nothing else to do so I came.”  _ She responded with a shrug. Everyone else had gone back to their conversations and Digger had a goofy grin on his face.

 

“Well that was kind of you.” June didn’t know how to respond to that.

 

“Do you want to join us? It seems Harley has enough company.” asked Rick looking at Harley’s friends. Tatsu was tempted to join them but Harley hooked her arm around Tatsu’s arm before she had a chance to respond. 

 

“Can you ride with me? Floyd is being such a meanie.” she pouted and sent a glare to the couple. Tatsu nodded and gave the couple an apologetic look. 

 

***

 

“Wow what a ride!” Said Harley after it was over and Croc ran to the nearest trash can. “What should we do next?” The intercom speakers static cut into her question. 

 

“The park will be closing in one hour.” It said. Harley pouted.

 

“Let's go to the Tunnel of Love!” She declared taking Floyd’s hand and running towards the ride. The plastic hearts had chipped paint and the sign was a bit dim but other than that in good shape. Harley and Floyd sat together, her with a big grin and him with a bored expression. June and Rick got on the next cart both giggling at the decorations. Charo left to grab some food at the concession stand and Croc went to a stand where you shoot rubber ducks. Digger spotted a stand with stuffed animals. He had a huge grin and dragged Tatsu to it. She could have gotten her hand out of his grip but curiosity got the best of her. He lead them to a booth with milk bottles stacked neatly and multicolored stuffed animals hanging from the ceiling and walls. Once her let go of her she grabbed his throat and slammed him to the nearest wall. 

 

“Don't grab me again.” She said in a low voice. He nodded fearlessly. Tatsu wasn't sure because of the lack of light but she was pretty sure his pupils dilated. 

 

“One set for me and the lady.” He said once he was released from her grip. The employee looked up from his phone and handed them their own sets of balls. 

 

“Alright you know the rules, knock down the milk bottles and you win a prize. Don't knock any down, sorry and better luck next time.” The employee sat down and continued playing on his phone. Digger went first aggressively throwing his ball at the bottles. His aim was off by a few inches and he let out a curse. He threw another ball, and another, and another until finally it hit the bottles. Except the bottles didn't fall down, instead it was moved by a tad bit. He cursed again and threw his last remaining ball. 

 

“Unfucking believable!” He cried out and Tatsu was thankful there were no kids around. Tatsu found his anger endearing so she offered him her five balls which he gladly took. The same thing happened and none of the bottles got knocked down. 

 

“Sorry pal,” the man said not looking sorry at all “Better luck next time.” 

 

“This game is fucking rigged!” Digger shouted at the unamused employee. Digger was about to yell more profanities at the man before Harley’s voice interrupted him.

 

“We have to get out now!” Harley yelled. Harley’s shirt and fist had some blood on it but Tatsu didn’t have time to ponder about it because Digger used that opportunity to grab the pink unicorn from the booth and grabbed her hand. They ran following Harley and Floyd out of the amusement park. Their shouting caught the attention of Croc and Chato who were enjoying their hot dogs. Croc shoved the food into his mouth before running with his friends. Chato left his hot dog and sprinted after them. Two figures were yelling and chasing after Harley. 

 

One guy had managed to grab Tatsu and spun her around. She was not a fan of being touched by random strangers and punched his nose out of reflex. Then she kicked him in the chest for good measure. She ran towards the group again and tried to ignore Digger’s look of awe at her actions. 

 

They all piled into Chato’s small car. Floyd sat in shotgun, while Harley, Croc, and Digger sat in the back. Tatsu was on Digger’s lap and her legs were on Harley’s lap. She tried to ignore her uncomfortable position and the fact that Digger’s stolen unicorn’s horn was picking her in the ass. (At least she hoped it was the unicorn). She also tried to ignore it every time Chato’s car hit a bump in the road. 

 

Once Tatsu caught her breath she asked “What the  _ hell _ did you do?” Harley tried to look innocent. 

 

“What? I didn't do anything.” She said in a faux innocent voice “I'm insulted you would even think I was part of the guilty party.” Everyone (except Chato, whose eyes were firmly on the road) gave her a look. 

 

“Alright, alright. I punched a guy.”

 

“Repeatedly.” Said Floyd with a grin. 

 

“Repeatedly yes. But he was insulting my Puddin’! He couldn't think he would do that without getting hurt did he?” 

 

Floyd laughed and Tatsu remembered Rick had gotten on the same ride as her. “Harley, did you punch Rick?” Oh lord did  _ she  _ punch Rick?

 

“No! At least I don't think I did. Probably not, if I did the blood spatter would be red, white, and blue.” She laughed hysterically at her joke and Tatsu sighed with relief. 

 

_ “Thank God I did not punch one of my only friends.”  _ She thought. She checked her phone and saw Rick texted her two minutes ago, clearly worried as to why she and Harley’s friends were running away from the amusement park. She would need to text him back and lie to him that everything was alright. It was almost 11:30 and Tatsu sighed, the fun was just beginning.

 

“As much fun as this has been, I have to get up early tomorrow. Can you drop me off at the campus?” She asked politely. Chato nodded and worked the car towards the school. 

 

“Aw but we're having so much fun! Why do you have to leave now? Can't you stay a little while longer?” Harley begged.

 

“Yeah the night’s still young. Stick around for a while.” Asked Digger. Tatsu was surprised but she hoped it didn't show. It would be nice to hang out with people other than Rick and June and the kids at the internship at Professor Waller’s law firm. But she had responsibilities. She shook her head. 

 

“I had fun but I have an early day tomorrow. I'll stop by the coffee shop tomorrow okay?” She promised. The lampposts of the school shone brightly as they moved closer to the campus. 

 

“Alright…” Harley pouted but nodded her head. 

 

“Well maybe we can go out for drinks next time.” Asked Digger.  _ Next time? _ Tatsu hadn't realized these people actually liked her. She gave him a small nod, but whether he saw it or not was up for debate with all the bumps in the road. 

 

Chato pulled up to the side of campus and Tatsu tried to get up and out of the car. Once she wiggled out of Digger’s lap she waved ‘bye’ to Harley and her friends. Harley have an exaggerated wave and Digger had his stolen unicorn wave bye to her. She thanked Chato for the ride and made her way to her dorm. 

 

For some reason she couldn't stop thinking about Digger’s pink unicorn. He seemed so fond of it and judging by his reaction at losing at the bottle game he was really eager to have it. At least she hoped he really wanted it. If he had stolen that pink unicorn out of greed or to annoy the man just doing his job that would be petty of him. 

 

It was just kind of odd a man like him, rough and tough, and an asshole and Australian, would be so attached to a stuffed unicorn from the amusement park. Odd but endearing. She should ask him next time.  _ Next time? Where did that thought come from?  _ Her stomach felt all warm and tingly. Then she remembered she didn't eat dinner. 

 

_ “Maybe I should get something to eat.”  _ She thought.

 

***

 

The next day Tatsu woke up a little later than what she was used to (5:30 can you imagine? That is ridiculously late.) so her previously planned schedule was a bit out out of focus. For breakfast she skipped the cafeteria and chose to go to the coffee shop hoping to find Harley there. She had never gone there in the mornings so it was busier than normal which left her some time to figure out her schedule while she waited in line. 

 

_ Should I run first, or lift? I should run first, I've been neglecting intense cardio this week. Afterwards should I pick up some coffee for my internship with Waller or just bring some tea bags to make there?  _ These thoughts kept roaming through her head and she didn't realize she was next in line until Haltey called her name.

 

“Tatsu! Good morning!” She said with no hint of sadness on her face. Tatsu had to wonder how she was so perky this morning, if last night was any indicator, she should be tired and sluggish. Instead she was her usual perky self. 

 

“Good morning.” She smiled glad to see her- Friend? That sounds about right- friend happy. 

 

“What can I fix you this morning? The usual?”

 

“Yes please.” 

 

“One order for Tatsu coming right up!” She moved to go fix up her order and Tatsu moved to the side to wait for her drink. 

 

“Here ya go! One piping hot espresso just for you!” Harley said eagerly. “Oh and here's my number. It slipped my mind to give it to you until you left. I'm such a scatterbrain.” She laughed. 

 

“Hey,” said another voice “I've been waiting for my coffee for over ten minutes!”

 

“Can it buster!” Yelled Harley to the customer “Your drink will be ready soon!” She smiled and winked at Tatsu before walking over to take some more orders. As she walked to her next class Tatsu inserted Harley’s number into her phone. When she took another sip of her coffee she noticed some numbers under her name. 

 

_ Harley _ she texted  _ whose number did you put on my cup?  _

 

A half hour later Harley replied.

 

_ Sorry for responding so late! XD Shifts you know? _

 

_ You left quite an impression on Digger last night.  _ The winky face emoji appeared several times after the sentence. Tatsu was bewildered.

 

_ What do you mean?  _ She texted back. 

 

_ Well he asked me to give you his number.  _ Winky face emoji.  _ So I did.  _ Heart emoji, heart emoji. 

 

_ So tell me… _

 

_ What did you two do?  _ Smirk emoji.

 

_ Nothing.  _ Tatsu replied. She couldn't understand why that vulgar man would want to talk to her. More importantly, she didn’t understand why  _ she _ would  _ want _ to  _ talk  _ to  _ him.  _ Maybe she was coming down with something.

 

_ Well you did something.  _ Winky face emoji. 

 

_ Anyway are you free Friday night? We're going out for drinks. Chato’s driving.  _

 

_ He’s staying away from alcohol. _

 

Beggin emoji. Face with one eye open and tongue out emoji. 

 

Tatsu thought about last night. These people were clearly dangerous and if they were friends with Harley, probably not too sane. They got kicked out of an amusement park and were rude and crude. They clearly had no manners. 

 

But she did have a good time. For some reason she wanted to see them again. (Especially Digger. His thing for pink unicorns was strangely endearing and cute. Not that she would ever say that out loud. Maybe she should ask a medical student if she was coming down with something.) 

  
_ What time?  _ She asked. She wasn't sure if it was real or a trick but she could have sworn she heard a loud scream from the distance. The thought of people enjoying her presence warmed her heart a bit (and if that was because of Digger, well no one had to know.) 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if I should continue or not. I know I didn't let them interact much so that's disappointing but I'm fine with leaving it as it is but if you guys want another chapter I would be willing to give it to you guys. Just let me know about how you feel (about another chapter or this story in general) in the comments section, and if you don't know what to say in there I still want your comment anyway. (Just type 'Extra Kudos' or something). I thrive off of the approval of others so send me a comment (or just press the 'Kudos' button.) As a reminder for those who didn't read the note at the beginning, I did not watch the movie so this was proabably very OOC (bit that's fine because this is AU). Anyway, much love and hopefully you guys enjoyed it! Mwah!


	2. Drinks.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harley, Tatsu, and friends go out for drinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys complimented me so much and begged for another chapter that I had to give it to you guys. Enjoy!

I

t was finally Friday night and Tatsu was getting ready for the night out with Harley and her friends. Rick had asked if she was sure she wanted to hang out with them and Tatsu wasn't quite sure if she did. On one hand, they were Harley’s friends so she didn't have to spend time with them. On the other, it was nice not to spend time with the same four people, two of whom were too infatuated with each other to pay attention to her. In the end, she decided to hang out with them. Rick told her she could give him a call if she felt uncomfortable and needed a ride home. She didn't think it was necessary but she appreciated the offer. 

 

Tatsu also had difficulty deciding on what outfit to wear. She wasn't sure what kind of place they were going to, a bar or a club. She had never been to either in the U.S. so she didn't know the proper attire. She finally landed on the decision to wear a black dress with a zipper down the front, her varsity jacket, red studded earrings, and black knee high boots. She hid her switchblade in her bra and another one in her shoe. It was okay for either environment right? 

 

She did feel a tad overdressed so she quickly texted Harley asking what she was wearing. Harley sent her a picture of her in a glittering gold and black diamond patterned mini dress. Her makeup was nicer than before and she had some gold bracelets on. As well as some gold watches on her forearm. (Tatsu wasn't sure why she needed so many and also didn't want to know how she got expensive watches either.) Maybe she was underdressed? Tatsu didn't have many party clothes but she didn't want to feel out of place. Maybe she should invite Harley on a shopping spree later. To compensate Tatsu applied red lipstick and winged eyeliner.  _ There _ , she thought  _ Much better. _

 

_ Why am I getting so worked up over this? I don't need to prove anything to them.  _ She asked herself while applying lipstick.  _ This is probably a one time thing anyway.  _

 

Harley was the only one she was really close to and she didn't need to impress her. She's seen Tatsu in worse shapes.  Floyd was nice sure, but he made her feel completely comfortable with herself. She didn't really talk to the rest of them. Except for Digger, but he was kind of a jerk. (Plus whenever Tatsu thought about him or thought about texting him she felt warm and fuzzy. It confused her because the medical students told her she wasn't sick. She figured she should just stay away from him. But she would like to know about his stuffed unicorn. Why he wanted it plagued her mind) Tatsu pushed these thoughts out of her head. She hadn't had fun in a long time before the night of the amusement park so she was determined to have fun tonight.  

 

A knock on her door woke her out of her thoughts. She answered it and Harley gave a wolf whistle of approval. 

 

“Damn, if I wasn't so committed to J, I would totally want to get with you tonight.” She bit her lip and gave her a huge smile. Tatsu blushed. 

 

“You look nice as well. I could never pull a dress like that off.” 

 

“Aw, ya think? I do look gorgeous in gold.” Harley spun around and giggled. “Well come on, the boys are waiting outside. We're taking Floyd’s car so we're not squished together like last time.” She giggled again. “Sorry to disappoint but you can't sit on Digger’s lap again.” Tatsu rolled her eyes at the comment and Harley laughed. Tatsu hoped she wasn't blushing. 

 

As they made their way downstairs they talked about their classes. Harley didn't understand the Criminology assignment and Tatsu was having difficulty with the new case Professor Waller had her on. 

 

The boys were at the car yelling about something that Harley rolled her eyes about. “They've been arguing about some game last night. I love them and all but I'm glad to have another girl to talk to. Boys are such bores sometimes.” 

 

Tatsu nodded with understanding. She was friends with many boys when she was younger and would often crave female friends who would understand stuff guys wouldn't. 

 

“I'm glad you're my friend as well.” She replied and Harley hugged her tight. Tatsu wrapped her arms loosely around Harley still unsure what to make of Harley’s touchy- feely nature. 

 

“Can I get some of that?” Called a brash voice. They broke out of their embrace and Digger was waiting out of the side of the car with his eyebrows wiggling suggestively. 

 

“Thanks for ruining the moment you jackass!” Yelled Harley attracting the attention of some glaring passerbyers. 

 

“You are looking fine tonight Tatsu.” He said with a grin as his eyes went up and down her body in a suggestive manner, ignoring Harley’s comment. Harley smiled at Tatsu and her eyes went back and forth between the two.

 

“Alright, scoot over Digger. We have to make it to the club before it gets super busy.” She leaned over to Tatsu while she was getting buckled up. “J opened a club downtown. I get in for free of course but it always gets super busy on Fridays and fights always break out that's why it's good to get there early. Not a lot of bloodshed.” She laughed and Floyd started the car. 

 

They drove into a part of town Tatsu had never been in before. It was obviously still Gotham, just darker. There was colorful vandalism that decorated the buildings and bright neon signs that brightened up the darkening streets. They drove around until they found the club. It was a dark building with many people outside of it. There were no flashy signs, no vandalism, and was cleaner than most parts of Gotham. Tatsu wasn't sure if it was because of Harley’s boyfriend or because of the popularity of the place. It was probably Harley’s boyfriend’s reputation that the club remained untouched and popular. 

 

Tatsu had done a little digging and found that Harley’s boyfriend was a major crime boss. It was just rumors that she heard but it did seem to match his personality. It made her wonder what Harley was doing at Gotham University instead of in the streets. (Not that she wasn’t glad Harley wasn’t in University, she had grown to love the girl. It was just odd for her.) It also made her wonder why his club was still open. 

 

They got out of the car and followed Harley to the front of the line. With a smile to the bouncer they were granted entry much to the displeasure of the people in line. 

 

The club was in full swing when they got in. There were women on poles dancing around, others were dancing on the tables, some on the elevated stage, most on the dance floor. The walls had lights and beads on them. The lights above were neon green and purple moving over the sweaty bodies of the dancers. The bar was on the far left and couldn't crank out enough drinks to serve the demanding crowd. 

 

Harley pulled Tatsu into the crowd as the boys went to go grab some drinks. Harley danced sensationally and Tatsu felt a little uncomfortable. She was not used to crowded environments like this and was unfamiliar with the song they were playing. Harley tried to get her to dance with her but Tatsu was still not dancing like the rest of the crowd. She just swayed her body to the music and looked at the people around her. Harley gave her a pitying look. 

 

“You’re supposed to be dancing!” she tried to coax Tatsu out of her shell by grinding against her a bit more. Tatsu loosened a bit but was still pretty stiff.

 

“Wait right here!” Harley yelled to Tatsu, who barely heard her over the loud music. Harley ran off the dance floor and to the bar. When she returned she had two drinks in her hands. She gave one to Tatsu and drained hers. Tatsu followed but wrinkled her nose as the taste. It was too sweet for her and the sugar on the rim was far too much for her. But it seemed to do the trick as Tatsu was grinding her body to the next song. This song she knew. Harley laughed in triumph and then Floyd and Digger came to join them. Croc was at the bar getting more drinks while Chato remained somewhere else unseen by Tatsu’s point of view. 

 

Digger got close to Tatsu, grinding his body against hers. She could smell the alcohol off of him and it made her feel a little dizzy. But for once she didn't mind his presence. She pressed her body closer against his and he wrapped his arm around her to hold her. She stole his drink out of his hand and drained it all before he had a chance to protest. She wasn't sure because of the dark lighting but he seemed to have a look of amazement on his face. She chose to ignore it and kept on dancing with him. 

 

She turned back to face Harley but did not find her in the dance floor. She was instead on the pole where she showed everyone how flexible years of gymnastics got her to be. Floyd was still on the dance floor with a pretty pink haired girl dancing with him. Tatsu smiled and continued dancing with Digger. He was so warm and other than Harley her first human contact in months. It felt nice when his big arms were wrapped around her. The song ended and she excused herself for a drink. 

 

As she was in line waiting for her order to be taken someone slapped her ass. She turned around punched the person in the nose causing him to land on his ass. Harley saw and got off her pole. 

 

“Hey what happened?” She demanded and the guy who was holding his nose grew pale. 

 

“Harley? She's with you?” He asked, voice audible barely over the music. 

 

“Damn right she is. What happened?” She asked again walking towards him. He scooted back a bit. 

 

“Simple misunderstanding is all I'm sorry.” He whimpered as she walked over his body.

 

“You'd best watch yourself next time or I'll have J come after you for disrespecting me.” She said in a low, menacing voice. 

 

“Don't Harley. He's not worth it.” Tatsu said pulling her back. The guy quickly walked went away still clutching his nose. Harley snapped her fingers at the bartender who took their orders immediately. Digger came over as the girls drank their drinks. 

 

“It's pretty hot to see you fight someone that isn't me.” He told Tatsu with a smile. Tatsu felt a little warm.  _ They should turn on the AC in here or something.  _ She grabbed his hand and took him into the dance floor again. 

 

She grew hotter and hotter as she kept dancing among the sweaty bodies in the crowd. She pulled her zipper down a bit, not too much as to show her bra but enough to show cleavage. Digger’s eyes followed the zipper and smiled. She moved her body to the beat of the music. It was fast and electric and her dance moves grew more and more sexual. Closing her eyes she could feel her veins pumping and her breath growing heavy. Digger pressed his body against her, hands wandering along her tiny frame. She would slap him whenever they wandered a bit too far or too low but otherwise let him have his fun. 

 

Her eyes finally snapped open when she heard Harley yelling. She looked at the direction of her and found Chato over one guy. Then Harley pushed passed Chato and got on the guy, beating the crap out of him. 

 

Tatsu has to wonder how much stress Harley was holding back. 

 

Digger grumbled and took them off the dance floor and joined the crowd forming around Harley. The guy underneath her was not fighting back and Tatsu wasn't sure if it was because Harley killed him or was playing dead so she wouldn't kill him. Croc was at Harley’s side beating up the guy’s friend. He occasionally paused to bite him. Once Chato decided the poor guy had enough he pulled Harley off of him. Harley was still trying to go after the guy, yelling various profanities at him. Chato gave her to Floyd, obviously not happy about being interrupted by the fight, who held her tightly in his arms as she tried to escape. Chato had to really try and get Croc to stop beating (and possibly eating) the guy under him. He tried pulling him back and eventually gave up, tackling him to the ground. 

 

“I’m calm now, I’m calm.” he said not wanting Chato to get upset. Chato helped him up and they walked towards the rest of the group. The music started up again and people went back to partying, as the two guys were still on the floor in pain. 

 

“God this place blows now that J isn’t here to run it.” sighed Harley “Let’s go back to my place, I can fix us up some more drinks. What I’ve got at home is certainly better than the trash they’re serving tonight.” The pink haired girl Floyd was dancing with passed by him and gave him a wink. He smiled back and gave her his number. Harley laughed at him and got off the bar stool to head to the car. 

 

The group followed her and drove off to her apartment. It was closer to the campus but still close enough to the club to walk by foot. Tatsu imagined it to be small and crowded, filled with flowers and books and clothes Harley had haphazardly thrown around. But when she looked around it was cleaner than she expected. The room was pretty much empty save for some bare necessities, books, a couch and an espresso machine. The only mess she could find was shoes thrown into a corner and a lot of vases filled with roses. She neatly put her boots next to Harley’s pile of shoes. 

 

Everyone else took a seat on the couch waiting for Harley to serve them their drinks. There was no room for Tatsu so she took a seat on the ground. 

 

“Guys, leave some room for Tatsu!” called Harley from the kitchen.

 

“It’s alright, there’s no room for me.” she replied.

 

“You can take a seat on my lap if you want.” Digger gave a lewd grin. Chato smacked him upside the head and Tatsu just rolled her eyes. 

 

“Don’t be so vulgar.” Chato said. Harley came in with the drinks before sitting on her loveseat drinking her own special concoction with no less than three little umbrellas. 

 

They talked about random things for a while and drank all the alcohol Harley could crank out. Eventually they moved onto shots. Tatsu had never been a fan of drinking games, mostly because too much alcohol made her head fuzzy and more prone to losing. But she decided to play anyway. She didn’t know why she didn’t choose not to drink like Chato had chosen to do but the more drinks she consumed, the more willing she was to do all those irresponsible choices. Besides, it wasn’t like she had anything planned for tomorrow anyway so she could just spend the day hungover, regretting all her mistakes. 

 

“Oh oh, we should play ‘Never Have I Ever’!!” she clapped her hands excitedly.

 

“We’re way to old to be playing that game.” Floyd said.

 

“Nonsense, you’re never too old to play never have I ever. It's a classic. Besides I was going to play truth or dare so I could get you to let me babysit Zoe but I'm feeling generous tonight. Here I'll even go first.” 

 

“Never have I ever...?” she thought for a moment, tapping her chin “Had sex at work!” She said excitedly with a large grin. Floyd smirked and took the shot. 

 

“Never have-” 

 

“Oh no,” Harley shook her head interrupting him “You know the rules. Explain it.” 

 

“An old girlfriend of mine stopped by my part-time job in high school. We had sex in the bathroom and I was promoted to manager the next day.” He said a bit smug. Everyone laughed and Tatsu gave a soft chuckle. 

 

“Alright if I can go on,” he gave a look to Harley “Never have I ever had sex in a car.”

 

“Really that's never happened to you?” Asked Harley before she took a shot. Tatsu took one as well. 

 

“No I have not, I'm a classy guy. Sex belongs indoors where no one can see me getting it on. And before we question me,” he looked at Tatsu pointing a finger at her  “You have had sex there?” 

 

Everyone seemed genuinely surprised. 

 

“Yes.” She answered shortly. 

 

“Like actual sex or just oral?” Harley even seemed surprised.

 

“Actual sex... and oral and whatever you think we could get into in a car.” She answered feeling a bit truthful after her drinking. Digger gave a low whistle. 

 

“What about you Harley?”

 

“Aw we don't need to hear it. We've caught her too many times with her boyfriend.” Scoffed Croc. 

 

“Okay well sorry for being in a relationship.” She replied back. “Tatsu it's your turn.” 

 

“Um… Okay… Never have I ever eaten a whole pizza by myself before.” It was an innocent question and to her surprise everyone else (save Chato) took a shot. 

 

“I was really hungry.” Said Harley

 

“It was a dare.” Said Digger.

 

“I had the munchies.” Said Croc drowning his first shot. 

 

“It was a birthday party and they had lots of pizza.” Said Floyd. Tatsu raised a brow but he didn't offer any more details. 

 

“Never have I ever peed my pants in public.” Said Digger. No one touched their shots. “Come on now. The rules say no liars.” Croc reached over and took a shot. Digger howled with laughter and everyone looked at Croc for clarification. 

 

“I was at a beach and I got stung by a jellyfish.” He said. 

 

“Aw I thought it was going to be more interesting than that!” Frowned Harley. 

 

“Never have I ever drank underage.” Everyone took a shot at that one. They then listed all their ages they had their first drink- Harley at fifteen, Floyd at fifteen, Croc at fourteen, Digger at fourteen, and Tastu at thirteen.

 

“You drank at thirteen?” 

 

“I was at a party with my parents and accidentally took their drinks.” The response was short but she excluded the part about her continuing to drink after she and Maseo discovered it was alcohol. She liked being considered the good one of the group.

 

“Never have I ever hit someone so hard they needed stitches.” Floyd said aiming the question at Harley and Digger and Croc. To his surprise Tatsu took a shot as well. 

 

“Oh yeah, you're here on a sports scholarship.” Harley said “Judo and what not.”

 

“Yes I have given people stitches from that too.”

 

“Ooh spill.” Harley crawled over next to her.

 

“I have gotten into a few fights back home.” Harley smiled at this. 

 

“It's your turn now.”

 

“Um… Never have I ever gone a… week without showering.” She asked pulling these questions out of the back of her mind. To no one's surprise Digger and Croc drank. No one needed clarification on that. 

 

“Never have I ever driven a motorcycle.” Said Croc. Both girls drank to that and Harley laughed. 

 

“My name is literally Harley, and J got me a nice one for my birthday. He likes a good visual pun.” She laughed again. “What about you Tee?”

 

_ “Quickest way of transportation in Japan _ .” She replied in Japanese. 

“What was that?” Asked Harley with her head cocked to the side 

 

“Sorry. It was the quickest form of transportation in Japan.” She blushed.  _ I must be really drunk to talk back in Japanese.  _ She thought. 

 

“Huh, Japan,” Harley said “So that's where you're from.” 

 

Tatsu was annoyed by people wondering where she was from. It wasn't like it was a secret. She had a patch on her jacket for crying out loud! 

 

“Alright… Never have I ever gone skinny dipping.” Said Harley with a laugh. Tatsu took a shot. 

 

“Wow you're naughtier than I thought.” Said Digger. Tatsu ignored the comment as she drank. 

 

The game went on for a while until Floyd announced he had to go home. Chato left, driving him back to his house and Croc was on the couch snoring lightly. For such a big guy he sure was light weight. Harley excused herself to the bathroom where she puked her guts out. That left Tatsu and Digger a moment by themselves. 

 

All those questions and shots left her totally drunk. She surprised everyone with her actions. Most of them happened during her slightly rebellious teen years when she was with Maseo. She had always thought she would remember those memories fondly not using those memories in a drinking game. 

 

Digger wasn't too far behind her because while he didn't take too many shots, he had started drinking before they went to the club. He had been day drinking the whole day. They were sitting next to each other on the floor. They weren't touching but they were very close to each other. 

 

“That was some good dancing you had on the floor earlier.” He said breaking the silence. He had drained his beer can completely empty. 

 

“Thank you. You looked nice as well.” Tatsu said sipping on her bottle of whiskey. He took the bottle from her hands. The moment their hands touched they both felt a jolt of warm energy flow through them. Somehow fingers touching was more intense for Tatsu than her grinding against him on the dance floor. He took the bottle from her hand taking a swig of it, without tearing his eyes away from her. He was too enchanted by her to look away. He placed the bottle on the table.

 

“This was a fun night out.” He said moving closer to her. She mirrored his actions until their knees touched. 

 

“ _ It was very fun.  _ Sorry, it was very... fun.” She let out a soft giggle letting her eyes fall on his lips. She wasn't sure if it was the alcohol but they were looking so soft. 

 

“Don't be sorry. You're kind of cute speaking in Japanese.” His eyes fell on her lips. “I mean you're always hot but … when you speak in… Japanese you get really… Really cute.” He was too drunk and distracted by her lips to form perfectly coherent sentences. They were red from her lipstick and so captivating. He was tempted to have a taste. He was sure she tasted good. 

 

“ _ Thank you.”  _ Her eyes met his again. His eyes were so charming but so overblown that she could see her reflection. He found himself hypnotized by her warm brown eyes, which were also overblown and wide he could see the desperation that painted his face. They were centimeters apart, and the space between them begged to be filled. They leaned towards each other, closing their eyes. 

 

But they quickly snapped away from each other when Harley entered the room again. 

 

“I have successfully broke my toilet bowl with my vomit.” She said bluntly wearing an old shirt instead of her party dress. “This needs to go down in a record book or something.” She noticed the two on the floor and silently cursed herself for ruining a moment. She hoped they didn't notice her. 

 

But the moment was over. Whatever magic that happened between them had broken and wasn't going to happen again that night. 

 

Digger needed to get out of there. He gave Harley a hasty goodbye and slammed the door on his way out. Tatsu grabbed her bottle and took a swig. 

 

“You want some?” She asked offering her the bottle. Harley shook her head. 

 

“As tempting as that offer is, I'm tired and alcohol is not something I need right now.” She shook her painkillers in her hand. “I'm going to just pop a few of these and sleep it off and hope my hangover won't be so terrible tomorrow.” She dry swallowed the pills and tossed the container to Tatsu. “Help yourself. Feel free to stay the night, I think you're too drunk to go home.” Harley walked away and came back with a large sweater. “Change into this and hop into my bed later. Croc begins talking in his sleep when he gets into deep sleep and the love chair isn't the best place to catch some Z’s you know?” As if to prove a point Croc mumbled some nonsense. 

 

Harley left Tatsu for some privacy to go get changed. As she got out of her party dress she thought about what had almost happened between her and Digger. Was it just her imagination or did something actually almost happened between them? 

 

Unfortunately she was too tired and drunk to think about the subject any further. She wiped her makeup off in the bathroom before lying next to Harley’s sleeping body. Within moments of sleep she was whisked away to her dreams.

 

***

 

In the morning Tatsu had a major headache and could feel the veins pumping throughout her head. Harley left the curtains open so the bright sun shine on her face and was a million times more annoying than usual. She got up and stretched making her way to the kitchen. Harley was frying some food and Croc was resting his head on the table eating some greasy bacon. 

 

“Good morning Tatsu!” She said, oddly cheerful for a girl who had been puking her guts out the night prior. “You look like how I felt last night. Did you get a good night sleep?”

 

Harley handed her a plate of greasy breakfast foods which Tatsu readily accepted. “It was great until I woke up.” Harley laughed and fixed herself a plate. 

 

“Yeah the pain killers are in the drawer over there. I love alcohol and all but the after effects are such bitches.” She pointed with her fork in the corner of the kitchen before digging into her meal. 

 

“Thank you.” 

 

“No problem.” She said mouth full of eggs. The image of Tatsu and Dogger last night had popped back into Harley’s head. With a sly grin and a raised brow she asked Tatsu what happens between the two. 

 

“Nothing.” Tatsu replied trying to enjoy the food Harley made. She didn’t want to think right now, it hurt too much.

 

“It didn't look like ‘nothing’. In fact if I hadn't interrupted you the two of you would have banged right there.” Croc momentarily choked on his bacon. “Right next to Croc!” 

 

Tatsu turned red and shook her head. “Nothing happened last night between us. Just lots of drinking.” 

 

“Okay…” She gave her a look but didn't say anything else, choosing to eat her breakfast. No one said anything for a while until someone knocked on the door. Harley went over to answer it. Digger was on the other side. 

 

“Hey Harls. I think I left my jacket here? My wallet’s in it.” He seemed tired from last night’s events. 

 

“Sure come in! We're eating breakfast, you want some?” She let him in. 

 

“No thanks. I had a burger and some fries on my way here.” He said gruffly searching the ground for his jacket. 

 

“Guess what? I saw what happened between you and Tatsu last night.”

 

“I know.” He looked up at her. “You interrupted us before we could do anything.” 

 

“You admit it then! You like her… You want to kiss her…” she said singing and making kissy noises. 

 

“What are we twelve?”

 

“Harley where did you put my clothes?” Asked Tatsu coming out of the kitchen. Digger looked up from the floor. His eyes trailed her bare legs- which were a lot nicer than he thought- and up the oversized sweater- which cut off his view of her legs before he could see what color her underwear was- to her face. She was looking down on him, blushing a bit. 

 

“Oh I put them… Gosh where did I put it?” She left the room leaving just the two of them alone. 

 

“What are you looking for?” She asked as he continued looking on the floor. 

 

“My jacket, I think I left it here last night.” 

 

“Oh,” Tatsu blushed at the thought of last night.

 

“Found it!” Cried Harley walking back into the room. She had Tatsu’s clothes in one hand and Digger’s jacket in the other. “Found them in my laundry basket.” She handed them to their owners and skipped her way back to the kitchen where Croc was finishing off the other girls’ plates. 

 

“Well I'd better get going. See ya later.” He said awkwardly before rushing out the door. Tatsu headed to the bathroom to change. After making herself look presentable enough she told Harley she was going back to her dorm. 

 

“I'll give you a ride there.” She put her plate in the sink. “Croc can you hold down the fort while I'm gone? I can pick up some food for you when I come back.”

 

“Can I watch TV?”

 

“Of course! Let me get changed first. Be back in a sec!” She left and Tatsu finished what remained on her plate. 

 

“I'm back!” Harley entered holding two helmets. “Let's go!” 

 

Tatsu took the helmet and followed her downstairs to Harley’s bike. They rode back to Tatsu’s dorm and Tatsu got off. 

 

“Hey Tatsu, you should give Digger a call soon. I'm sure if you give him a shot you won't regret it.” Before Tatsu could respond Harley rode away to avoid the usual denial of feelings people always have. While in her harlequin books she loved it, when people did it in real life it irked her. 

 

Tatsu rolled her eyes and headed back to her dorm. She needed a hot shower. 

  
It wasn't until Tatsu got back to her room that she realized she didn't ask Digger about his odd attachment to his stuffed unicorn. “ _ Well there always  _ is  _ next time.”  _ She thought with a smile as she typed his number into her phone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay this wasn't as fluffy as I would have liked it to be so another chapter may or may not be coming. I don't know but tell me your thoughts in the comments and even if you have nothing to tell me, write 'Extra kudos'. I need validation. I hoped you enjoyed it!


	3. Feelings.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tatsu realizes some things. She does not like this realization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This became very emotional very fast, I don't even know where it came from. There is some foul language used here and some non explicit sex scenes and mentions so just forewarning you. Enjoy!

Tatsu wasn't sure when it happened but somewhere between riding him and bending over his couch she realized she had feelings for him. Like romantic feelings. Actual romantic feelings. How could this happen?

 

His alcohol problem, terrible pick up lines, his apparent kleptomania, the soft spot he had for his stuffed unicorn, his rough grin, his warm eyes, the way he looked at her, the way he made her feel… 

 

“ _ Oh my gosh I think I like you. _ ” She said in Japanese when he thrusted into her. Tatsu was familiar with the feeling. She remembered it when she was with Maseo. She remembered what happened because of her feelings for Maseo. 

 

“Fuck that's hot.” Tatsu, once again, was glad that few people understood her.  _ This is a good thing you have going, _ she thought  _ Don't mistake lust for love. _ When their orgasms came he pulled out of her and lied back on the bed. Tatsu took a moment to recompose herself and rolled out of his bed. She took the sheet with her.  

 

“Where ya going?” Digger asked lifting his head up. 

 

Tatsu normally felt good about her body. She has been told many times that she was beautiful by family members, friends, strangers, Maseo, and herself in front of the mirror. She had muscles from working out, cuts and bruises that she wore as trophies from her numerous sword fighting competitions. But she couldn't help but tighten the sheet around her body. The way he looked at her made her feel more naked than when she was on top of him just moments ago. She internally cursed herself for feeling this weak. 

 

“I have a paper due soon and I haven't worked on it yet.” She avoided eye contact as she bent over to grab her clothes. “I have to go back before the library closes.” She grabbed her bag of spare clothes and headed to the bathroom to change. 

 

Okay so the paper excuse was a lie, she had finished it a week ago but she needed a good excuse to get out of his apartment. She splashed water on her face to clear her head.  _ I couldn't have feelings for him. This is ridiculous. I'm just mistaking lust for love is all. Plus, I'm running on five hours of sleep because he is relentless when it comes to sex so there's that. Yeah I just need to go back to my dorm and get some sleep. It'll be all clear in the morning.  _ She nodded to herself as she put on her shirt. She checked over herself and walked out the door. 

 

Digger was up, putting his boxers on. He looked up at Tatsu. 

 

“Good luck with your paper.” He said with a smile “You sure you don't want one more round before you go? I could even order pizza and we could make out before the pizza boy comes.” He wrapped his arms around her and Tatsu could feel herself turning red.  _ Stop acting so fucking weird, you two just had sex. You shouldn't be blushing at the guy who was just eating you out.   _

 

“No.” 

 

“What, you don't like pizza?” He asked lowering his hands. Her stomach felt warm and she was getting turned on. 

 

“Nope.” She quickly wiggled out of his embrace and ran for the door. “Bye.” 

 

She felt bad for leaving him confused but she had to get out of there. She hoped he didn't catch onto her lie or think her exit was too weird. But compared to the other times she left him that week, this had to be the strangest so he was bound to notice. 

 

***

 

She occupied herself with work and school and exercise that week. She hung out with Rick, trying to lure him out of depressive state after he and June came to the mutual agreement to break up. (Which was apparently easy after introducing him to Floyd). She talked to her parents about her classes and what was going on in her hometown. Anything that would distract her from her feelings that she desperately tried to suppress. But it was no use because he kept calling, texting, and coming to her in her dreams. Everytime she woke up she would turn to her picture of her, Maseo, and their boys and feel instant regret. She couldn't do this to them. 

 

But alas she could not ignore her feelings for much longer. Tatsu had meant to contact Harley earlier, to go on a shopping spree but Harley beat her to the punch. She barged into Tatsu’s dorm one day and with a quick peek into Tatsu's closet she declared an emergency shopping spree. She practically kidnapped Tatsu at the end of their Criminology class the next afternoon. 

 

With the reassurance from Harley that she would pay for everything their spree began. Tatsu bought a handful of clothes from all the stores Harley dragged her into. But it was still small compared to Harley's boatload of clothes and accessories. 

 

Tatsu waited for Harley to come out of the dressing room. She already bought her clothes from this store and was just waiting for Harley to do the same. 

 

Harley came out of her dressing room door striking a model pose. 

 

“Ta-da!” She said with a bright smile. She was wearing a red and black romper. She looked good as usual but her smile quickly turned into a frown when she saw Tatsu just sitting there with no new clothes. 

 

“Okay I can understand your reluctance to go crazy and buy stuff in the first few minutes of shopping but this is the fifth store we've been to all day! All you have bought is the same clothes you already have!” She threw her hands into the air. “You don't need anymore workout clothes or the same black shirt!” 

 

“Harley lower your voice.” Tatsu took in a deep breath. “I don't need a lot of new clothes.” Harley’s look told Tatsu she thought otherwise. “How about we go to a different store? We can find me some party clothes. I need some of those.” 

 

Harley smiled and clapped her hands. She went back into the dressing room to get out of her romper and quickly redressed. 

 

As they walked out the store Harley caught a glimpse of Tatsu’s eye bags. 

 

“What's up with you? Digger said you acted weird last time he saw you. No one has seen you in awhile. You haven't even stopped by the Coffee Shop this week!” Harley’s face was filled with worry. 

 

“I'm fine, just swamped with work is all. Professor Waller has us working on this tough case this week and I need to prove to her that I would be a great lawyer.” Harley didn't believe her for a second but didn't press on it. As a psychology student she knew ways to find out truths without the person even knowing it. 

 

“Oh this place is great for party clothes!” Harley changed the subject quickly and dragged Tatsu into a darkly lit store. Tatsu was not familiar with many American stores but this seemed to be the exact place Harley would go to for party clothes. Once they entered the store Harley abandoned her to check out their newest items. Tatsu walked around looking for some clothes better suited for her tastes. There were a surprising amount of clothes that she liked and soon her hands were full. 

 

Harley approached her, slipping her phone into her purse, and smiled. “Finally, no black shirts or workout clothes.” She began to push her towards the dressing room. “Go try them on, I’ll be waiting right here.” She pushed her into an empty dressing room and locked the door. 

 

Tatsu knew Harley was acting weirder than usual but chose to be oblivious. She tried on the clothes and sorted the ones she tried on into two piles- keep and return- until she came to a floral dress where the zipper became stuck. 

 

“Harley, can you come in here? I think the zipper is stuck on this one.” She heard some whispering outside the door and grabbed the knife that was hiding in her boot. She heard people running away from the door and stood in a defensive stance. The door opened and to her surprise she found Chato with a bored look on his face. 

 

“What are you doing here?” She lowered her knife down “Where did Harley go?”

 

“She pushed me in here so we can talk. She said the two of you weren’t going anywhere so she had me talk to you. Do you want me to help you with that?” He pointed to her dress.

 

“I’d rather you didn’t. I don’t want people to get the wrong idea about us being in here.” She tucked her knife away. “Can you get out? I’ll be out in a second. Just let me pay for this stuff.”

 

He held up Harley’s credit card. “Harley left it for you. We’re going to meet at the food court.”

 

“Thank you.” she took the card out of his hand as he walked out of the dressing room.  _ What the fuck was Harley doing now?  _ She collected all of the things she wanted to buy and walked to the cash register. Chato was not far behind, texting on his phone. She paid for her stuff and walked out the door. Chato walked next to her in silence. 

 

“Why are you here and not Harley?” 

 

“Like I said, you weren't talking to her about your problems so she made me have you talk to me.” Tatsu didn't know what to make of this. 

 

“There is nothing to talk about.” 

 

“Let me take some of your bags.” He grabbed two of her shopping bags and didn't say anything else. 

 

When they made it to the food court she noticed Harley right away (her sparkly outfit and dyed hair made sure of that). Digger and Croc were next to her eating a burger. She assumed Floyd was with Rick as they had been keeping each other occupied since meeting.

 

“What does Harley want me to talk about?”

 

“Your feelings I guess. She seems to be obsessed about you and Digger. Personally, I’d leave it alone because it’s none of my business but this is Harley.” Tatsu needed to get out of here. She couldn't do this now. She was better off suppressing her feelings for Digger. Luckily for her, her parents chose to call her at that exact moment. 

 

She excused herself and thanked God, Buddha, and whoever else was watching her for their divine intervention. 

 

Chato walked over to his friends and took a seat. He drank his soda as Harley pestered him for answers. 

 

“Did she say anything? Did you get anything out of her?”

 

“No. She said she didn't have anything to say.” 

 

“But she's been acting weird!”

 

“We aren't close. Can't you just leave her alone?” Chato stole some fries and shoved them into his mouth. He hated getting involved with his friends’ shit. He didn't understand why they wanted him to get involved with it. 

 

Harley was clearly frustrated by the lack of results. But she did rely on guys to get information… Maybe it was time to try some new tactics. 

 

“Chato, Croc,” she said in a sweet voice “Can you go and buy me some more fries?” She gave them her wallet and waved them off. When they didn’t move she gave them a death glare. They begrudgingly went in line. The line wasn't very long but it was long enough for her to wiggle some information out of Digger. 

 

“Say, Digger,” she said trying to look as innocent as possible, “You were the last person to see Tatsu. You said she was acting weird? How so?”

 

“I told you, she was just weird.” He avoided the details of when he saw her as he shoved his burger into his mouth. He practically inhaled it. Harley took note of this. 

 

“Where did you last see her?” She pressed further. He took a moment to swallow his burger and drink his soda.

 

“Um, I don't know. The last time we went to your boyfriend’s club?” Harley knew he was lying. Tatsu had started acting weird long after they went to J’s club. She recalled Digger giving her a ride back to her dorm.

 

“Was that on Friday?” She tested. His breathing became shallower but he tried acting natural.

 

“No, Saturday, but we left early so we wouldn’t get caught in the rain. Afterwards, we went to Floyd’s house afterwards and playing Call of Duty. He wasn’t watching Zoe that night remember?” He took a sip of his soda. 

 

“Ha! You're lying to me!” She pointed a finger at him in accusation. “I'm a psychology student remember? I'm trained to see past people’s bullshit.” A father covered his kid’s ears and shot a glare to Harley. “You just exhibited all the signs of a liar you liar!” 

 

“I'm not!” He protested. 

 

“Yes you are! What did you two do huh? Did you declare your love for her? Did you two fuck?” The father dragged his kid away from Harley and shot her dirty looks. She paid no attention, she was too focused on Digger. “Did you kiss? What happened?” She demanded. The boys came back with Harley’s fries. 

 

“Harley lower you voice. There are children here.” Chato said. 

 

“I don't give a rat’s ass!” Chato smacked his forehead with his hand. “I want to know what happened between Digger and Tatsu.” 

 

“Nothing. Good lord you're annoying.” Digger crumpled up his trash and walked to the garbage can on the other side of the food court. 

 

Tatsu began to walk back into the food court at that same time. Never had she ever been so happy to hear about her parents’ day at work. She was walking towards Harley when she bumped into Digger. 

 

“Harley wants to know why you're acting weird.” He said cutting straight to the point. 

 

“I'm not.”

 

“Well you were last time I saw you. In fact you bolted out of my place instead of staying like usual.” He pointed an accusatory finger at her. “You didn't even stay for pizza.” 

 

“I told you, I had a paper due.” She didn't sound convincing, not even to herself. Good lord, what was he doing to her? 

 

“Bullshit.” The man who took his kid away from Harley now moved his kid away from Digger, sending dirty looks his way. If looks could kill…

 

“Can we go somewhere private?” Tatsu asked taking note of the fact they were about to talk about her post-sex behavior within the hearing range of children. 

 

“Fine.” He took her hand and dragged her over to the corner next to the soda machines. “Talk.” 

 

“I'm just swamped with school work you know? Plus my Professor dema-” Digger stopped her. 

 

“When I said talk, I didn't mean keep lying.” He was getting frustrated. “No one is listening. Just tell me the truth.” 

 

Tatsu did not want to do that. She wanted to do anything but that. 

 

“Was the sex not good that time? You know I can bounce back from that right?” He gave a soft chuckle and in a gentler voice said, “I'm a big boy, I can take it. Besides, we've had bad sex before and that didn't stop you from coming back.” 

 

Tatsu still didn't say anything.  _ This is bigger than sex!  _ She wanted to say. She just kept looking at her shoes. She couldn't do this. She tried to hold back hot tears. 

 

“Why are you crying? What did I do?” He was desperate for her to answer him. He held her hand. “Please tell me.” 

 

“ _ I have feelings for you. Romantic ones. I realized them last time we fucked. I know you don't feel the same way and I'm not ready to move on from my husband so I'm trying to forget about it.”  _ She said hurriedly in Japanese.

 

“What?” He was even more confused. “I still haven't learned Japanese yet so can you repeat that in English?”

 

She shook her head.  _ Shit. The tears are falling now.  _ She walked to the sacred space where no man could enter- the woman's bathroom. Once again she felt bad for leaving him out there even more confused than the last time but she needed to get away from him. She locked herself in a stall and let the tears fall. She took out her phone and looked at pictures of Maseo and her boys. Would they  _ want _ her to move on? It's been five years and this is the closest she's felt to anyone since then. She and Maseo had talked about what would happen if either of them dying but back then it always seemed hypothetical. 

 

She looked at the knife in her hand. It was the same knife that killed Maseo. She clutched it tight and held it close. What would he want? 

 

_ Well,  _ she rationalized  _ He would want me to be honest about my feelings.  _

 

Maybe if she couldn't talk to Digger she could at least give him the courtesy of a text message. But what would she say? Maybe the truth? 

 

A knock on her door took her out of her thoughts. “Hey Tatsu?” Asked Harley softly. 

 

“Yes?” Tatsu choked out. 

 

“What's up?” 

 

“Say J died,” Tatsu said with no warning. “Would he be okay with you moving on?” 

 

Harley was at a loss for words. “I don't think I could.” 

 

“But would he want that?” She asked again. Harley felt as if that was a loaded question. Her Puddin’ was very, very possessive of her. He killed the last two guys who expressed the slightest bit of interest in her. But he would want her to be happy right?

 

Actually, knowing her Puddin’ he would want her to be so consumed with grief that she could not bear to go on without him. 

 

“He- he would want me to be happy.” Harley lied. “Why do you ask?” 

 

“I think I may have feelings for someone… Not my husband.”

 

“You were married?”

 

“Five years ago. We had two lovely boys.” Tatsu was on the floor now (she hoped it was clean). “They are all dead now.”

 

Harley was once again speechless. This was not how it was in the harlequins that she read. The couple was supposed to realize their love for each other and get swept away by the romance. They were supposed to run off into the sunset after having a beautiful wedding. Tragic, unexpected things did not happen. But she lived in reality and in reality unexpected and tragic shit happens everyday. 

 

This did explain why she was so reluctant to be with Digger though.

 

“Do you think they would want you to be happy? You mentioned it had been five years, five years is a long time. You deserve to be happy.” Harley insisted.

 

Tatsu thought this over. Was she dishonoring their memory by moving on? No. If she forgot about them, that would be dishonoring their memory. 

 

“I suppose you are right.” She did deserve to be happy, if only for a little while. She got up from the floor. She should give this a try. 

 

“But I may have missed my window for happiness.” She remembered that she hadn't been treating Digger that while in their last few encounters. 

 

“Digger? No, no not at all.” Harley reassured her. Tatsu was too tired to deny it. 

 

“Why do you say that?” 

 

“He likes you. As in like-likes you.” 

 

“Impossible.”

 

“He does. Ever since he met you he's acted different. He's still the same person, just different. He’s not as big of an asshole anymore. He wants to know what you're doing, he wants to know how you're feeling, he wants to get to know  _ you _ . No one's ever seen him act like this.” Tatsu still said nothing. 

 

“That's why I've been so insistent that you two get together. Is the chemistry between the two of you amazing? Yes. But that's not just it. You make him better, and you are strangely happy around him.” 

 

“Are you sure he likes me?” 

 

“A hundred percent, absolutely.” She nodded her head even though Tatsu could not see her. 

 

Tatsu took in a deep breath, kissed her knife, and texted Digger. She opened the door and walked to the sink. She began to wash her hands. 

 

Harley hugged her and rubbed her arm. “You okay?” 

 

Tatsu lifted her head up and looked at Harley. “Yes. I just confessed my feelings for him so I'll just wait and see how it turns out.” 

 

“Through text?” Harley asked with a bit of disbelief. 

 

“Yes.” She said drying her hands. Harley blinked.  _ Oi vey, these two were made for each other.  _ She thought. 

 

“I hope he takes it well.” Harley said. She took Tatsu’s phone and read the text. 

 

_ Digger, I'm sorry I keep leaving you confused and alone. While we were having sex I realized I had romantic feelings for you. Or like-like you as Harley keeps saying. It was embarrassing as I believed that you would not feel the same way and it was during sex and I'm recovering from some personal drama. That's why I left so quickly. I've been trying to forget it ever since but you were forever in my thoughts since then. I did everything I could to forget and deny my feelings but I can't anymore. I'm sorry this text is really long but I just want you to know why I'm avoiding you. It's because I like you and feelings are terrifying. But I've decided to be brave and tell you I like you because I can't ignore these feelings anymore. But if you are still willing, I would like to give us another chance.  _

 

Harley cooed at the text. It was nothing fancy but it was real and true. This was better than any harlequin that she had ever read. (If Digger was going to reject Tatsu after receiving this she was going to hunt him down and beat him with her baseball bat). 

 

Not long after Digger relieved the text he replied back. Tatsu smiled when she read it. 

  
_ You wanna go for coffee tomorrow?  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter! I hope you enjoyed this! I'm sorry but I have nothing else to add to this. Maybe I'll publish another fic, I don't know. This one-shot became a lot bigger than I thought and is my most commented work so I might do that. (This ship needs more work dammit!) It's not my best work because I still don't know the characters very well as I have (still) not seen the movie yet. Hopefully if I come around to writing another fic for this ship I'll be more comfortable with my work. But until then, you're stuck with this. But on the bright side, this is the first finished fic in the entire ship! Yay! Feel free to ask for clarifications or to praise me in the comments below! I love validation!

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know if I should continue or not. I know I didn't let them interact much so that's disappointing but I'm fine with leaving it as it is but if you guys want another chapter I would be willing to give it to you guys. Just let me know about how you feel (about another chapter or this story in general) in the comments section, and if you don't know what to say in there I still want your comment anyway. (Just type 'Extra Kudos' or something). I thrive off of the approval of others so send me a comment (or just press the 'Kudos' button.) As a reminder for those who didn't read the note at the beginning, I did not watch the movie so this was proabably very OOC (bit that's fine because this is AU). Anyway, much love and hopefully you guys enjoyed it! Mwah!


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